Supporting research

BRACE requires grant applicants to show that their research could either improve our understanding of the causes of dementia or improve diagnosis or help develop new forms of treatment.

We do not tell scientists where their research should be going. We don’t invite applications on specific lines of research.

How applications are processed

When an application is received, we check it for eligibility and an initial assessment is made by our own Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC is an independent committee of scientists which recommends to the Trustees which applications should be supported, subject to the availability of funds.

When the SAC makes its initial assessment, it also identifies a number of independent experts to be invited to provide a peer review. These may be anywhere in the world – the key qualities they need are relevant expertise and independence from the applicant researcher and university.

The SAC will normally wait until it has received at least three peer reviews before deciding whether to recommend approval of an application.

When the Trustees take their final decision, they are therefore guided by a range of expert opinion and have a single, clear recommendation.

BRACE is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC)